Move to Rename Greater Rochester International Airport Takes Wing

    July 15, 2020

    By Victoria E. Freile Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

    Source Daily Messenger, Canandaigua, N.Y. (TNS)

    ROCHESTER — As a change.org petition seeking to rename the Greater Rochester International Airport after Frederick Douglass picks up steam, Monroe County Executive Adam Bello said he supports the idea and is looking to study the proposal.

    The petition, which was created over the weekend and has more than 2,400 supporters as of Tuesday morning, is to be presented to Bello.

    "I support renaming Rochester's gateway Frederick Douglass International Airport, an act which I believe will honor one of our country's greatest citizens and deliver a message of hope to the world," said Richard Glaser, a local financial advisor who started the petition.

    "Frederick Douglass holds an unparalleled place of prominence in the history of Rochester and Monroe County," Bello said in a written statement Tuesday morning.

    Douglass was an eminent human rights leader of the 19th century, with his speeches and writings putting him at the forefront of the U.S. abolition movement.

    After escaping slavery, Douglass fled to New York City and then to Massachusetts, publishing his autobiography in 1845.

    Douglass, who is documented to have spoken on abolition and women's suffrage in Canandaigua, Farmington and other places in Ontario County, lived in Rochester from 1847 to 1872, the longest of any place he lived. He is buried in Rochester's historic Mount Hope Cemetery.

    "He called Rochester home for more than a quarter-century and it was here that he founded and published his 'North Star' newspaper, wrote some of his greatest works and speeches and continued his life-long fight for emancipation, suffrage, equality and human rights," Bello said. "His world-renowned leadership on social reform is a legacy that lives on throughout our community.

    "I appreciate the input and civic engagement of so many residents who have suggested renaming the Greater Rochester International Airport in Mr. Douglass' honor," Bello said. "I am supportive of this idea and my administration will be working with the County Legislature, the Federal Aviation Administration, the public and other stakeholders in coming weeks to develop a process to study this proposal."

    Earlier this month, a statue of Douglass in Rochester's Maplewood Park was vandalized. The damaged statue was ripped off its base and dumped about 50 feet away, near a chain-link fence by the Genesee River gorge. The incident drew national attention and finger-pointing as numerous people — including President Donald Trump — offered theories and opinions on why the statue was targeted.

    To date, Rochester police have not filed any charges in connection with the incident.

    In its early years, Rochester's airport was known as Britton Field, the Rochester Municipal Airport and the Rochester Monroe County Airport. It became known as the Greater Rochester International Airport in the 1980s.

    The airport is owned and operated by Monroe County.

    The state Senate is considering a bill to rename the 570-mile state Thruway after Douglass. The highway has been named for late Gov. Thomas Dewey since 1964.

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    Josh Smith